Prejudice aimed mostly at Black people? (Chicago: insurance, find a job, neighborhood)

[williepotatoes]

I wonder if Mike ever bumped into my Uncle Ralph (an Irish/Scotch mutt who was my uncle through marriage) He spent three years in the the UK as seargent of an ordnance crew that loaded bombs into American and sometimes British planes. An affable guy who was a great storyteller, but never talked too much about the war until late in his life. And thank God he did, because he enlightened and entertained me often. Those were my favorite memories of him.

It spurred me to study the history of the 8th Air Force during WWII. They lost more men during the war than the entire Marine Corps. And not all too far behind the entire Navy.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by williepotatoes

It spurred me to study the history of the 8th Air Force during WWII. They lost more men during the war than the entire Marine Corps. And not all too far behind the entire Navy.

Being an 8th Air Force crewman was probably the most dangerous job an American had in the war. 26,000 killed. British Bomber Command was amazingly even more dangerous and had about 55,000 killed and a death rate of 44%! It was more dangerous to be in Bomber Command than to be a British 1st Lt. on the Western Front in the Great War.

[williepotatoes]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

Being an 8th Air Force crewman was probably the most dangerous job an American had in the war. 26,000 killed. British Bomber Command was amazingly even more dangerous and had about 55,000 killed and a death rate of 44%! It was more dangerous to be in Bomber Command than to be a British 1st Lt. on the Western Front in the Great War.

Yeah as we look back now I think all the flyboys were in effect test subjects in a new and unknown way to fight a war, by air. The allies air campaigns were pretty much a disaster until tha last 15 months of the war, when they finally figured things out. You have to give a lot of credit begrudgingly to the Luftwaffe though. They spent a couple of years literally tearing us a new rectal cavity. It's said that Goering was an opiate addict who wore nail polish and slept in silk nightgowns. Whatever his eccentricities were, he did have a few successful years at the front desk.

[Huckleberry3911948]

very high violent crime in the AA community. the public reacts to it at times unfairly.
guilt by association, the japanese that were interned in CA. they experienced the same unfair event, guilt by association. but are we not a bit hard on the those faced to make such decisions? the violent acts against other americans were not imagined nor without a source.
signed a chicago native and former houston resident

[key4lp]

Originally Posted by williepotatoes

I was labelled a "dumb pol***". Once when I was twelve, I got into a fight with an Italian kid at school. When i went home for lunch, I told my mother that I was in a fight with a "wop". She slapped me acrosss the face and sent my grilled cheese sandwich flying across the kitchen. I never used the term wop again. In fact to this day, I still flinch a little bit every time I eat grilled cheese.

Great story. Good lesson ( sorry it hurt ) about respecting people. Have you tried a grilled cheese
sandwich using provolone or mozzarella? (just kidding)

[Chicago60614]

I've heard racism spoken among friends as a white person, mostly "jokes" or random comments, but never anything actually spoken to or in front of a minority. The only first hand knowledge I know of is my roommate of 5 years who was a white woman teaching at a 100% black school on the far west side. She had crazy stories of really terrible things told to her by other teachers, people in the community and parents because she was white. Lots of bitterness going on.

[Alacran]

I hear racism against whites all the time.

[Chicago South Sider]

Originally Posted by Alacran

I hear racism against whites all the time.

[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

I've heard racism spoken among friends as a white person, mostly "jokes" or random comments, but never anything actually spoken to or in front of a minority. The only first hand knowledge I know of is my roommate of 5 years who was a white woman teaching at a 100% black school on the far west side. She had crazy stories of really terrible things told to her by other teachers, people in the community and parents because she was white. Lots of bitterness going on.

Unfortunately that happens all the time.

I know of a black teacher at a mostly black school and she hears the same thing from parents.

They don't feel as though the teachers are there for the children. They don't feel as though they can connect on a cultural level with the black students. Many feel as though white teachers are racist.

I'm not making excuses for prejudice behavior from the black parents. I would say we do need more people in the schools who can understand the situation the students are coming out of.

Unfortunately, blacks who are educated are not going into education. So the number of black teachers is much smaller and not reflective of the demographics of CPS.

I went to an all white private school and never had an issue with relating to the teachers nor did I experience any out right racism from anyone that I know of. It is possible for white teachers to be successful at teaching black students. There has to be a connection. I guessing connected because of religious beliefs and my parents where connected with the teachers. When there is no connection it's not going to work. That could be just a much the parents fault as it is the teachers.

[Chicago South Sider]

You know, a lot of people are poorly socialized as children so they develop into xenophobes and racists later in life. Chicago, and the midwest in general, is full of people who grew up in isolated environments where they had little to no interaction with people different than themselves. I'm glad that I didn't suffer this sad fate, because the whole lot is quite pathetic.